ABSTRACT

This study attempted to determine the effects of family and social support on the self-esteem, self-efficacy, and job search self-efficacy of the unemployed. A total of 117 surveys were collected in Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon measuring self-esteem, general self-efficacy, and job search self-efficacy and social support. Pearson correlation coefficients demonstrated moderately strong positive relationships between social support and self-esteem, general self-efficacy, and job search self-efficacy. Social and family support had a stronger influence on the self-perceptions of men than women.

Research studies have been ambivalent about whether enrolling in community college makes completing a bachelor’s degree less likely than directly enrolling in a four-year institution. This study uses propensity score matching with a posttreatment adjustment to determine the treatment effect associated with taking the community college to four-year college transfer pathway. Each transfer student was matched to a four-year college junior from the same high school who enrolled at an equally selective four-year college. We found no significant difference between transfers and native juniors, demonstrating the viability of the community college to four-year pathway. Policy implications are provided.

No abstract

In this study, we analyzed data for the Illinois high school class of 2003 to determine the impact of dual credit participation on postsecondary attainment. We matched 8,095 dual credit participants to an equal number of nonparticipants within the same high school at the point of postsecondary enrollment using propensity scores calculated through a two-level hierarchical generalized linear model with college type as a posttreatment adjustment. Results indicate that community college students taking dual credit were significantly more likely to obtain a baccalaureate degree (28% to 19%, respectively) than their matched peers who did not participate in dual credit. We found similar improvements in postsecondary degree attainment for students attending colleges at multiple selectivity levels, although the largest and most robust effects were found for students starting at community colleges and at non/less competitive entry institutions.